World's BEST Fall Dog Treats

Chances are, you're already planning your Thanksgiving menu, complete with all kinds of goodies!  And being the good pup parent that you are, we know you won't forget to share the joys of the season with your four-legged babies!  Well, these fall treats are sure to get tails waggin'!

 Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Treats

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

 Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff.

Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Bake 40 minutes, let cool and serve.

 Pumpkin Wafers

Ingredients

• 15 oz. can mashed pure pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
• 3/4 cup dry cream of wheat (or dry rice cereal if wheat-sensitive) 
• 1/2 cup dry powdered milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Mix all ingredients together. Drop small spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, let cool and serve.

* If you'd like to make bite sized cookies for smaller dogs, training rewards or just small treats, you can use a pastry bag and squeeze out rosettes about the size of a dime for tasty bite-sized cookies!

Pumpkin Carob Drops

Ingredients

• One 15 oz. can mashed pure pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
• 3/4 cup dry cream of wheat (or dry rice cereal if wheat sensitive)
• 1/2 cup dry powdered milk
• Unsweetened Carob Chips

 Directions

Preheat oven to 300F.

Mix all ingredients together. Using a pastry bag (or large Ziploc bag), make 2-inch swirls or rosettes onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

In the center of each swirl, drop a carob chip. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes.  When cool, treats will be soft and slightly chewy.

"Apple of My Eye" Mini Muffin Poppers

Muffin Ingredients

• 1 large apple
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated low fat cheddar cheese
• Mini Muffin Cups

Frosting Ingredients

• 8 oz lowfat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 Tbs lowfat plain yogurt
• 2 Tbs honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Core, slice and mince apple. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, blend together the yogurt, water, oil, honey, and eggs, then stir in the apple and cheese. Add to the flour mixture and stir until mixed.

Place mini muffin cups in muffin tins, and spoon in batter, filling each cup about three-quarters full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let rest in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.

Combine cream cheese, honey, and yogurt until smooth. Spread on cool muffins.

* Recipe can also be used to make a single layer cake.  Simply spoon batter into sheet pan and bake an additional 10 minutes.  

Apple Cinnamon Delights

Ingredients

• 1 large apple
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Core, slice and mince apple. In a large bowl, combine the minced apple, honey, water, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.

In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle.

Bake for 30 minutes, then flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool overnight.

Whole Wheat Cream Cheese Danish with Applesauce

• 1/4 pound lowfatl cream cheese
• 1/2 cup all natural apple sauce, no sugar added
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp real vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Knead dough on a floured surface. Roll dough 1/2-inch thick.

Cut with cookie cutter of choice and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and let cookies sit in oven 1-2 hours to harden.

Pumpkin Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
•  2 tablespoons dry milk
•  1 cup white flour
•  1/3 cup corn meal
•  1/2 cup oats
•  1 teaspoon baking powder
•  2 teaspoons cinnamon
•  3 tablespoons vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• • 1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon water

 Directions

Preheat oven to 250F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with mixer.  (Dough will be thick like cookie dough).

Roll dough into rectangular sheets that are 1/4" thick.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into a 'grid' to create small square treats.  Place squares onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour, checking on them several times during the last 20 minutes. (Since the biscuits are fairly small, they can brown fairly quickly.) 

Turn off the oven, leaving the treats inside to dry overnight. 
In the morning, they'll be hard, dry and crisp.  

Apple Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup of wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of molasses
• ½ cup of canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 apple, cored and chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil and flour.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon together and set it on the side. Then in another large bowl mix together the molasses, and oil, then add in the eggs one by one, and beat them until they blend in. then add in the vanilla along with ½ cup of water. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix it well until it becomes smooth. Then fold in the chopped apple pieces.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until when inserting a toothpick in the center of a cake it comes out clean.  Let cool and serve.

Erin Thomas is the owner of Summerville's Lowcountry Pet Sitters, the area's premier in-your-home pet care service.  For more information, please visit www.LCPetSitters.com or call 843-327-7487.